Barbecued Chicken with Yellow Mustard Sauce

If you fancy a proper US-style barbecue this weekend try this brilliantly easy recipe from chef Brad McDonald's book Deep South: New Southern Cooking

Brad writes: "You’re going to fall in love with this Carolina- style sauce. I really like its tanginess with the chargrilled chicken skin. It also stands up well to the charred spring onions, which make the perfect garnish for this dish. (Keep any left- over mustard sauce in the fridge – it’s great with sausages.)

Barbecued Chicken with Yellow Mustard Sauce
Serves 4–6

1 free-range chicken, about 1.5kg (3 1⁄4 lb)

100ml (3 1⁄2 fl oz) olive oil

50g (1 3⁄4oz) BBQ rub (see below)

12 spring onions (scallions), trimmed but left whole

a little vegetable oil

sea salt

For the yellow mustard sauce:

250g (9oz) French’s yellow mustard

120ml (4fl oz) cider vinegar

85g (3oz) light soft brown sugar

1⁄4 tsp paprika

1⁄4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper

1⁄4 tsp freshly ground
black pepper

First spatchcock the chicken: put it breast-side down on a board and, using a pair of poultry scissors, cut out the backbone. Turn the bird over and press down gently on the breast bone, then splay the chicken open. Season with salt on both sides. Make a paste with the olive oil and the BBQ rub and coat the bird all over with it. Leave to marinate for 3–4 hours or overnight.

Place the bird skin-side down on a barbecue grill and cook over a medium heat until tender and cooked through. Turn once and move to a lower heat if nec- essary to prevent scorching. If using a thermometer to check the temperature, pull the bird off the heat at 65°C/150°F. Leave to rest for 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Toss the spring onions in enough vegetable oil to coat, then place on the barbecue and cook until lightly charred.

Carve off the chicken legs and thighs, then carve the white meat from the bone. Brush the sauce over the meat. Garnish with the grilled spring onions and serve with the rest of the sauce on the side.

For the rub:

125g (4 1⁄2 oz) paprika

15g (1⁄2 oz) onion powder

15g (1⁄2 oz) garlic powder

15g (1⁄2 oz) chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)

15g (1⁄2 oz) crushed black pepper

7g (1⁄4 oz) dried oregano

Mix everything together, use what you need for the recipe and keep the rest in a sealed jar

What to drink: Personally I'd go for a craft beer like a pale ale or IPA with this but you could go for a fruity red like a merlot, grenache or tempranillo or a not-too-oaky chardonnay if you prefer a white

From Deep South by Brad McDonald (Quadrille £25) Photograph © Andy Sewell

Richard Turner's beef rendang

If you like a bit of a project make Richard Turner's beef rendang this weekend - one of his favourite recipes, he tells me, from his brilliant new book PRIME.

The basic beef broth while amazing is a bit of a project in itself but Richard says you can use ready made beef stock or a beef stock cube if you haven't time. I'd be seriously tempted to double the recipe though and invite more friends.

Richard writes: "A caramelized curry dish from West Sumatra in Indonesia, reckoned to be one of the most delicious beef dishes on the planet by a CNN poll.Originally used as a method of preserving excess quantities of meat, this dish has spread throughout Asia due to the migrating culture of its originators, the Minangkabau."

Serves 4

1kg (2lb 4oz) chuck steak

50g (1¾oz) beef dripping

2 cinnamon sticks

2 cloves

2 star anise

50g (1¾oz) desiccated coconut, toasted

500ml (18fl oz) coconut water (the kind sold fresh for drinking)

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon kecap manis or light soy sauce

2 kaffir lime leaves

250ml (9fl oz) Basic Beef Broth (see below)

juice of 1 lime

Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

For the spice paste

100g (3½oz) shallots, peeled

1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled

50g (1¾oz) fresh root galangal, peeled

50g (1¾oz) fresh root ginger, peeled

3 red chillies

3 lemon grass stalks

50ml (2fl oz) water

For the coconut rice

300g (10½oz) basmati rice

700ml (1¼ pints) coconut water (the kind sold fresh for drinking)

First make the spice paste. Roughly chop the shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, chillies and lemon grass, then place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse, adding the water to make a fine paste. Set aside.

Cut the beef into 4cm (1½ inch) chunks. Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add half the dripping. Add the beef, in batches if necessary, and cook on all sides until browned, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining dripping and the spice paste and fry for 2 minutes, then add the cinnamon, cloves and star anise and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Return the browned beef to the pan, along with the toasted desiccated coconut. Stir well, then add the coconut water, tamarind paste, fish and soy sauces, lime leaves and beef broth and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, stirring regularly to make sure it doesn’t stick. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 1½ hours, or until the meat is tender.

To make the coconut rice, place the rice and coconut water in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, remove the lid from the beef and cook for a further 15 minutes, until just thickened. Add the lime juice, season with salt and pepper and serve with the coconut rice.

What to drink: Tricky one. It's not the easiest dish for wine but I'd be tempted to go for a lush ripe grenache or garnacha or a GSM (grenache, syrah, mourvèdre) blend

Basic Beef Broth

Makes about 6 litres 10 ½ pints (so you'll obviously need a VERY large pan FB)

Richard writes: "I was taught to use three basic stocks as the base for sauces – veal, chicken and fish – but I’ve always had a nagging doubt: if making a sauce for pork or beef, why would you use any other stock than that made from the bonesof the meat you are cooking? This is my basic broth (call it stock if itpleases you), and the foundation of many of the recipes in the book. I’ve shoehorned in as many sources of umami as I can and consequently it’s not a subtle stock, but then beef can take it."

1kg (2lb 4oz) beef bones

1 small beef shank

1 oxtail

2 onions, peeled and halved

2 large carrots, split

2 celery sticks

2 large dried shiitake mushrooms

2 dried porcini mushrooms (20g/¾oz)

1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves but not peeled

1 faggot of herbs (thyme, bay, rosemary and parsley)

1 spice bag (20 fennel seeds, 20 black peppercorns, 1 star anise)

250ml (9fl oz) Madeira

250ml (9fl oz) soy sauce

5 litres (9 pints) water

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and lightly roast the bones, beef shank and oxtail for about 30 minutes. Put the onions cut side down into a dry pan over a high heat and leave until very dark brown, almost burnt.

Place all the ingredients in a very large pan and bring to a gentle simmer. If you don’t have a pan large enough to hold the full quantity, it can be divided between 2 pans.

Skim off any scum that rises to the surface and cook for 6 hours, skimming every 30 minutes or so. The trick here is to simmer at a bare roll and skim any impuritiesregularly for a clean, clear master broth.

Without moving the pan, turn off the heat and gently ladle the broth out of the pan through a very fine sieve, taking care not to disturb the base too much.

Cool and reserve until needed. Once chilled, this broth can be frozen in 500ml (18fl oz) or 1 litre (1¾ pint) batches.

Extracted from PRIME: The Beef Cookbook by Richard H Turner published by Mitchell Beazley at £25. Photograph © Paul Winch-Furness

Josceline Dimbleby's Crispy Pigeon Pie

This impressive Moroccan-style pie from Josceline Dimbleby's food memoir Orchards in the Oasis would make a great centrepiece for a dinner party or more casual supper with friends.

"This party piece – a deliciously aromatic fusion of flavours – isn’t a true Moroccan bastilla, but it is inspired by those I have eaten there, and less laborious to make." says Josceline. "I serve it with a green salad – with fennel slivers and coriander and mint leaves added – and a bowl of yogurt to spoon onto your plate beside the pie."

The filling can be made ahead.

Serves 8

12 pigeon breast fillets, skinned
350g red onions
3 large cloves garlic
generous walnut-sized piece fresh root ginger
75g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 rounded teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 rounded teaspoon paprika
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 level teaspoons caster sugar
150g blanched almonds
6 medium free-range eggs
4 tablespoons whole milk
1 rounded teaspoon turmeric
large handful of flat-leafed parsley
350g filo or strudel pastry
1 level tablespoon icing sugar
sea salt, cayenne pepper

Cut the pigeon breasts into small pieces. Peel, halve and finely slice the onions. Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Melt 15g of the butter with the olive oil in a wide flameproof casserole dish or large, deep frying pan (with a lid) over a medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cinnamon and paprika, followed by the pigeon. Stir for a minute or two, then add the onions and the lemon rind and juice. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pigeon is tender. Then remove the lid, stir in the sugar and bubble to reduce the juices down. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, brown the almonds in a dry frying pan and then whiz briefly in a food processor to chop. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the milk, turmeric and a little salt. Melt a knob of butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add the egg mixture and scramble slowly and lightly, stirring only once or twice. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

Pull the leaves off the parsley stems and chop them roughly. Stir into the cooled pigeon mixture with the almonds. Melt the remaining butter. Brush a loose-based deep cake tin, about 18cm in diameter, thinly with butter. Line the tin with a sheet of filo, bringing it up the sides and allowing the excess to overhang the rim; keep the rest of the filo covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out. Then lay another sheet of filo across the first one (at a 90° angle) and continue like this, buttering the sheets between each layer, and reserving two sheets.

Now spoon half the pigeon mixture into the filo-lined tin and level the surface. Spread the scrambled egg evenly on top and cover with the remaining pigeon mixture. Fold the overhanging filo over the filling and then lay the remaining filo sheets on top. Press the excess pastry down inside the edge of the tin and butter the top.

Cook the pie in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes until well browned. Push the pie up so it is just on the tin base, then using a wide spatula, lever it carefully off the base onto an ovenproof serving plate. Put back in the oven for about 20 minutes to crisp the sides. Before serving, sift icing sugar over the top. Use a very sharp knife to cut into slices.

Taken from ORCHARDS IN THE OASIS by JOSCELINE DIMBLEBY, published by Quadrille (£25, hardback)

Photography © JASON LOWE

What to drink: I'd like an aged Spanish red like a Rioja Reserva or Gran Reserva with this or an old vintage of Chateau Musar.